How to Fix a Gummy Smile

How to Fix a Gummy Smile

Have you ever been self conscious about showing too much of your gums when smiling?

Our motto when it comes to your smile is “if you don’t like it, change it.”

Prominent gums are usually caused by genetics, though sometimes health conditions and certain medications can cause this to happen in patients. Whatever the cause may be, when it comes to altering one’s gums, there are a couple of ways to go about it.

Perform a gingivectomy. A gingivectomy treatment aims to reduce the amount of gum exposed when smiling. During this treatment, a soft tissue laser removes a minimal amount of the patient’s gum tissue. This procedure is relatively painless, requires no sutures and 2-3 weeks of recovery. By removing the gum tissue with the a laser, it makes the teeth longer and gums shorter, creating an aesthetically pleasing balance between the two.

At Dentistry for Madison we use the Solea Laser, the only one in Madison, to perform gingivectomies. With this laser, the patient has a virtually pain-free visit, no recovery time, and very small chance of becoming infected.

Receive gum contouring surgery. This procedure requires local anesthetic and is a more invasive option. With gum contouring, the gum tissue is resituated around each individual tooth by lifting the tissue off the bone and placing it in the desired new position. After the tissue has been placed, sutures are set. The recovery time for gum contouring runs from 7-10 days after which the sutures are removed. Additionally, gum contouring can be done to fix gum recession, read more about gum recession and ways to treat it here.

Both of the above options will reduce the amount of gum shown in your smile, so, if you don’t like your smile because of your gums, schedule a consult with a cosmetic dentist to talk about which option is best for you.